We stayed that way, silently and slowly rocking together, between the cool satin sheets and the warm, down filled quilt, for a long, blissful eternity. Just when I could feel a deep, slow buildup starting, another part of my body decided to speak up first.
One hundred percent wide awake now, I stiffened board-straight underneath him. Confused, he stopped moving and raised his head, blinking sleepily at me. "Emma?"
His tired eyes tried to focus on mine, but he was still groggy and slow moving, and my body needed him to move much quicker. One hand flew to cover my mouth and the other shoved back his shoulder, pushing him off of me. He instantly retreated, understanding that I was about to lose it on him if he didn't. Without looking back, I shot up off the bed and stumbled my way to the bathroom. I just barely made it into the private room with the toilet.
I was so ready for this part of pregnancy to be over with.
Almost immediately, his now cool hands were running up and down my back. I looked at him over my shoulder as I panted into the bowl, sort of hating him for putting me in this position. He smirked at my expression and pointed at the swirling water I'd just flushed down. "Sorry, did I do that?" His voice was sweet and innocent, but the twinkle in his eye was not.
Glaring at him as I sat back on my heels, I put a hand on my stomach and raised an eyebrow. "You know you did."
"Sorry." He grinned, not looking sorry at all.
I wanted to complain a bit, but then he swept me into his arms and treated me to a nice, relaxing, soapy shower. As he washed my hair and massaged my back, I just couldn't find the words to complain anymore. When I was clean and feeling human again, he wrapped me in a huge, fluffy robe and put me back in bed. Then he blurred away and left me alone. I wanted to complain about that too, until ten minutes later he came back with bacon, eggs and a plate of waffles. I love my husband.
He seemed to love me too. As I scarfed down my food in our bed, he played with my wedding band, a loving, peaceful look on his face the entire time he twisted my ring in never-ending circles. When I was full and finished, and positive it would stay down, I set my plate on the nightstand and proceeded to finish what I'd so rudely halted this morning.
This time, I made it through without getting sick.
His family stayed away for the bulk of the day. Well, for Halina and Imogen it wasn't really a choice, they were stuck wherever they were until the sun set, but Jack and Alanna stayed away, giving us our newlywed space. And we needed it. We didn't leave the room much, or the bed for that matter. We lounged, laughed, talked, made love, napped, played card games and made love again, all afternoon long. It was bliss. Pure, romantic, we-just-got-married bliss.
Teren did slip out of our oasis once or twice (dressed only in a pair of loose lounge pants, which was a delightfully yummy sight) to get a bite to eat. I let him leave by himself, taking the time he was gone to call my mom and sister. I sort of wanted to call Tracey, just to talk to Ben, to make sure he was okay, but I suppose that could wait. I mean, Teren and I had already kind of had our honeymoon, and today would be all I was going to get, so I was going to enjoy every darn minute.
When Teren came back, full and satisfied, he immediately stripped off his lounge pants, and I thoroughly enjoyed every single second of our time together.
Eventually the sun did set though, and Teren and I got dressed, and stayed dressed. He let me know they were coming back and we headed downstairs to greet everybody. As I was hugging Alanna and thanking her for the beautiful weekend, Halina immediately grabbed Teren's arm and pulled him into the library. And let me tell you, when Halina wanted someone to follow her, vampire or not, that person followed. Teren stumbled a bit as she drug him away.
I eyed where they went nervously as I saw both Alanna and Imogen cringe a bit. At one point, even I could hear the heated voices. At that point, Imogen slung her hand over my arm and gently patted me, pulling me towards the kitchen. I let them drag me away, knowing they were trying to spare me the showdown going on a few rooms away. Alanna set me at the table and made a quick meal for Jack and me. Jack studied his plate, but occasionally looked at his wife and then down the hallway where Teren and Halina were still "talking".
When he did it again as Imogen and Alanna started sipping their drinks, also throwing glances at the hall, I dropped my fork and said, "Shouldn't someone go in there?"
The trio looked at each other and then to where Teren was. Imogen finally broke the silence, sipping her blood. "He's fine."
I sighed, giving Alanna hopeful eyes. She sighed as she met my gaze. "He really is fine. He's just...explaining the situation to her."
I looked at the three of them and shrugged. "What situation? Ben?"
They looked at each other again and then back at me. Imogen answered, her youthful face looking concerned as she glanced at the door. "Yes. " She brought her eyes back to mine. "We really don't like people to know about us. Teren knows that. Ben should have been wiped immediately."
I blinked at each of them. "I knew."
Alanna and Imogen shared a glance that spoke volumes. I suddenly realized that if Teren and I hadn't ended up together, I most definitely would not have been allowed to remember what he was. I suspected that, but knowing that for sure was a bit startling. Tears stung my eyes at the thought; I couldn't imagine not knowing. Alanna's eyes sympathized as she watched the emotion on my face. "It's just a precaution, Emma. The fewer who know, the fewer who can find out."
I swallowed as I looked over her beautiful but sad, pale eyes. "My sister knows," I whispered, suddenly worried that my confidant was going to be snatched away from me.
Imogen looked down while Alanna glanced at Jack. With my heart in my throat, Alanna spoke at me, her eyes never leaving her husband. "Halina spoke with her. She won't wipe her mind," her eyes returned to me, "as long as she stays silent." She smiled softly and shrugged. "Halina is quite attached to the girl, as are we all."
I exhaled softly, relief filling me that my sister's memory would not be tampered with. A thought struck me as I thought about that. No one was allowed to know their secret? Did that mean that no one was allowed to even remember them? "How much does she wipe? When she erases someone, how much do they remember?"
The vampires looked at each other again and it was Imogen who answered me this time. "It depends on the circumstances. She won't touch the people who came to the wedding, that meeting was too trivial, must people will have forgotten our faces in a few weeks. For other relationships, she may take everything. Some people, the acquaintances we're around the most, but can't be let in on the secret, well, when we leave here, they won't even remember our names. They'll only have a vague sense that they knew this person once...but every specific thing about us will elude them. We could meet them again, giving them the exact same names, and they'd never even realize that they already knew us."
The tears stung my eyes again as the implications of that hit me. Aside from each other, hardly anyone they met really remembered who they were. I suppose, when it was time to move to another region, all traces of them were erased. That must take Halina weeks to scour through all the people. Although, most of the family stayed secluded at the ranch. The only vampire really out there forming attachments, was Teren. He was creating a lot of work for her by leaving coworkers and friends and others that would need memories dimmed, if not eradicated. No wonder they didn't like him being away from the ranch. How lonely to not have anyone remember the bond they had with you.
And, I suppose, if things had worked out differently for Teren and I...I wouldn't even know him. With how close we'd gotten, they would have taken everything. Every cherished memory I had. While I wouldn't know the difference, Teren would. He'd still be in love, but to me, he'd be a complete stranger, just someone I'd spilt coffee on one day. I desperately wanted to hug him, all of them. "That's so...sad," I whispered, a tear finally dropping to my cheek.
Alanna reached out and wiped it away, a small smile on her fanged face as she sipped her blood. "We have each other."
I shook my head. "But Teren wants more."
Imogen sighed and reached out for Alanna's hand. As one, they turned to Jack when he finally spoke. "He does. He wants a normal life, normal job...normal friends." Jack sighed and shook his head. "The fact that the side effects are so mild on him, that he can pass as human so easily, makes living a life in secret...more difficult." Jack shrugged, his aged eyes looking sad. "He's always wanted to leave his mark on the world...and that just can't happen. It's impossible to not leave some sort of trail, not with how connected the world is now, but we do what we can. It's one of the reasons Teren writes under an alias."
Jack sighed while that fact sank in. Teren wrote articles for Gate Magazine under the name John Jones. Very generic. I had always assumed he did that for privacy. I guess in a way, I was right. Alanna met eyes with Jack and they gave each other sympathetic smiles. I wondered if someday, Teren and I would share sympathetic smiles over the table, while our children's spouses dealt with the realities of their lives.
"It hurts him, I think, having to hide," Alanna said quietly.
I looked down, hating this conversation, but understanding it too. The constant charade, the self imposed isolation, the endless lies - all of it to hide the truth from everyone. People who, either way, wouldn't be allowed to remember much, if anything, about him. It was heartbreaking for someone who ached for normalcy.
The vampires simultaneously looked up at the door, and a moment later Jack and I did as well. Halina huffed through first, heading to the table and pouring a thick glass of blood from the carafe, immediately downing it. Teren came in a few steps later, looking tired, but happy. He smiled softly at me as he sat down. When Halina slammed the carafe down in front of him, probably denting the table, he didn't react, only grabbed it and calmly poured himself a glass. I guess he'd won.
After the silent dinner, where Halina pouted and both Imogen and Alanna whispered foreign words to her, I tried to help Alanna clean up the wedding decorations still strewn all throughout the entryway and backyard. I should have known better. She shooed me off, loaded Teren down with our presents and as much of the leftovers for me that he could carry, and practically swept us out the door.
As Teren packed up our car, I said my final goodbyes and thanked all of them. Ending up in front of Halina last, I gave her a hug, her cold body giving me a slight shiver in the December air. Her pale eyes were worried when I pulled back, but she wasn't looking at me, her eyes were attached to Teren's back, watching him fill the trunk of his Prius. Feeling sympathetic, and hormonal, and full of I-just-got-married good feelings, I cupped her cheek.
Shocked, her eyes shifted over to mine. A little shocked myself, I dropped my hand and stole a glance at Teren. "He'll be okay, Halina." Bringing my eyes back to hers, I held them intently. The wind picked up some, billowing out Halina's tresses like a pure black cloud. "I won't let anything happen to him."
Even I knew my promise was an impossible one. I guess I said it so that she would know she wasn't alone in worrying over him. I was right there with her. She seemed to understand that and smiled at me, nodding lightly. We hugged again and were still hugging when Teren walked up to us.